A powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the southern Philippines early on Monday, killing at least four people and injuring more than 200.
The quake hit the Mindanao region at 7:37am local time, knocking out power lines and forcing thousands of coastal residents to flee to higher ground under the threat of a tsunami.
Tsunami waves of 1.4 metres have been recorded by the Philippine’s seismology agency. The region has since been rocked by a series of aftershocks, including one with a 6.1 magnitude.
Emergency services have launched urgent rescue operations in the worst-affected areas, where a number of buildings are reported to have collapsed.
“Many buildings were affected, but I cannot enumerate them now because we are busy with ongoing rescues,” Sgt Robert Dagon of the General Santos City police said. “A number of buildings collapsed. Some houses also collapsed.”
Officials fear the casualty toll may rise as communications are slowly restored to cut-off towns.
Videos circulating on social media, and verified by AFP, showed a shopping centre with Jollibee fast food restaurant collapsing into rubble in the province’s General Santos City.
Tsunami warnings issued
After the tremors, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center warned that hazardous waves of up to three metres (10ft) could hit Philippine coastlines “within the next three hours”.
Waves reaching up to one metre were forecast for parts of Indonesia and Malaysia, while smaller surges were possible as far away as Japan, Taiwan, and Guam.
“We advise people to evacuate to higher grounds or go further inland,” said Teresito Bacolcol, head of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.
The warning prompted immediate evacuations in coastal villages. In the province of Sarangani, near the epicentre, rescue efforts were complicated by a near-total blackout and failing phone networks.
The US Geological Survey registered the quake at a depth of 22 miles, locating the epicentre just off the coast of General Santos City. The tremors were powerful enough to be felt across the Celebes Sea in Indonesia, shaking buildings in the North Sulawesi province.
The National Disaster Agency instructed those living in the highest risk areas – such as the North Sulawesi capital, Manado, northern Gorontalo province and the Sangihe islands – to immediately “evacuate in an orderly manner to higher ground”.
The agency reported that the situation on the ground was “safe, clam and under control” for the moment and urged the public “not to panic, to prioritise the safety of vulnerable groups such as the elderly, people with disabilities, and children, and to always comply with official instructions”.
President orders immediate response
Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the Philippine president, also issued a statement imploring those in affected provinces to “please heed the tsunami warning”.
“Move to higher ground now. Do not wait. Your life is more important than anything left behind... The national government is moving and we will not leave Mindanao behind,” Mr Marcos said.
He added that he is in “constant communication” with local authorities and will provide updates as the situation develops.
The Philippines is one of the world’s most disaster-prone nations.
The archipelago sits squarely on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an arc of intense seismic faults encircling the ocean, making it highly susceptible to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.